Episode 2: Kiki’s Saloon Series.
The secret of motherhood exists in a state of secrecy between mothers and their daughters passed down from generation to generation. Such mysteries are the basis of the secret cults called ‘witchcraft’ that existed among women, to protect the womenfolk. Some people even posits that Eve was the woman with the first secret, that although she ate fruit from the tree of life, as tempted by the serpent, that wasn’t the only thing she did with the snake. Adam didn’t eat out of the fruit but was implicated by his wife's actions, so it was a charade of theatrics performed by his wife, which he merely followed. But the truth about this fable is that it paints Adam as the victim and Eve as the perpetrator, but in all sincerity, we all know that is false. Both parties were equally guilty, but this isn’t a biblical tale or story.
It is often said that only a mother knows her child's father, she might have multiple sexual partners, but only she knows who planted his seed in her. But the real secret exists in her mind, for its not the first time that a man would train his bastard, after-all a number of our ancestors were true bastards. And so it’s only wise if the deceit continues till the end of the world.
Since I moved into this area, asides from the weekdays where I had to rush out to work before dawn and return at dusk, my weekends are usually dull. Asides my neighbours who I stop to chat for a few minutes. So I decided to pay the saloon a visit once more since I promised myself not to after the dreadful acid incident. But, since I didn’t have anything in particular that I wanted to do, but I just felt that I needed to leave the house before I lost my mind. So here I am in the saloon again, this time with only a few women, Kiki the saloon’s owner and her apprentices. While I sat, waiting for one of the apprentices to be free, I began flipping the pages of the newest edition of some titled comic magazine. Then I started to listen in on the conversation of two women plus Kiki, and it was about to be an exciting weekend I thought to myself.
The two women sat opposite me, but their voices were loud enough to hear without straining my ears too wide. The first was a plump woman, who seemed like she was in her late thirties, she was light-skinned and pretty with a bit of mark on her face, an accident I suppose made those marks, but regardless she was lovely, she was known as Madam Chioma. While the second woman was in contrast, slim and dark-skinned, she was equally pretty and had a wonderful smile, the way she sat like she owned the place, she spoke with so much confidence, and carried herself with class, she was known as Madam Ashietu. The two women looked rich, the way they spoke, dressed and behaved you would have known they weren’t women who were struggling.
They were wrapped in the rich fabric in contrast to Kiki, who wore a flimsy top and shorts. Kiki was busy telling them about the acid incident, and the women were full of laughter, almost tearing up from the comic relief. Then the conversation shifted to how Men behaved with their wives, and then Madam Ashietu shared her experience while courting her husband when he had no money. Still, she stood by him spending her money on him, just to be sure that he was okay, without feeling insecure whenever they went out, but as soon as things changed for him and he became successful through her connections he changed totally. He was a womaniser, a chronic one, and there was no kind of woman he doesn’t sleep with, whenever she complained, he would simply shrug saying What else does she want? She mentioned that it was the day she vowed to destroy him; she had employed every resource she had into ending his wealth. And now, she was proud that he was back to being poor, at least he’s a loyal puppy now, she told the other ladies to look outside, I also stylishly looked, and I saw a man who appeared in his mid-fifties wiping the body of an SUV she said proudly to the other ladies, that’s my husband. I didn’t know when my throat became dry.
The ladies laughed heartily, and you would have thought a comedian was making jokes in the saloon. Madam Chioma, simply replied with boastful confidence, Men always think they’re wise as if they know everything, they’re unaware that we women hold their future in our hands. Kiki watched the women proudly, and I’m confident she’s making mental notes. For madam Chioma, her story was a sad one, and I don’t want to be biased to say her husband deserved it but, I’ll leave it to you to figure that out yourself.
Madam Chioma began, 'My husband Uche used to be a very nice man, I’m sure you knew back then Kiki, you must have been a kid back then, but at least you knew how nice he was?Kiki shook her head affirmatively.
‘Well, back then while we courted he wasn’t rich, but I knew that he was ambitious, but I didn’t want to marry him because he was uneducated, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t marry any man that didn’t go to school. He was persuasive, and I had just gone through a rough breakup with my ex-boyfriend Nonso, who decided to travel abroad to continue his studies, I was broken then because Nonso was my first everything, he was the one who even dis-virgin me, what a great day that was, I still feel him in my womanhood. I kept the secret that I wasn’t a virgin anymore from everyone, including Uche because I knew my father must never know. He always bragged about my virginity to everyone, saying he would collect enough dowry on my head as a result. So when I met Uche, I knew nothing was going to happen between us, he was the conservative type who always spoke about marrying a virgin. Then I missed my period, the first month I thought it was due to stress, but I became scared when the second month also was the same, my mother was the first to notice. Then she called me and asked me who the child's father was, and I denied severally till forced it out of me after incessant floggings. She then told me that my father must never know if not we would both be dead, she decided then that I must get rid of the pregnancy, she took me to Doctor Kola, the only doctor in our village then and told him what to do, he removed the child and tightened my womanhood. My mother then taught me a trick to do, during my first sex with whoever I was going to marry, I’ll come back to the trick. Then my parents arranged with Uche to marry me, and I wanted to protest because I had no love for him, but I couldn’t my mother already warned me that it was the best, before I bring further shame to my family. That was how I was married to Uche, and we both moved back to Lagos, where he was based. Uche loved me and cherished me, back then when we lived in our one-room apartment, and I grew to love him, and just like that, a few months after our wedding, Uche was blessed with a contract which made him wealthy. Then he changed and started screaming at me constantly about wanting an heir. It was constant beatings every time I saw my period, and at first, I believed that God already cursed me for the abortion. My mother also tried her best, taking me around from pastors to witch doctors still no solution. But amid his friends, my husband usually bragged that he married me a virgin, only if he knew that I had to cut a bit of my thigh to produce the blood he saw on the night of our wedding. A few years into our marriage, I became pregnant for the first time I was super satisfied, and so was Uche he becomes nice towards me once more. He was always excited, saying the child was a boy, he had already given the unborn child names. But his joy was cut off after we had an ultrasound to determine the baby’s sex, we were told the child would be a female and my husband’s countenance towards me changed. He was always angry at him, he didn’t need any reason to slap or beat me, till he beat me one night till I lost the pregnancy, and it became a norm, every time I was pregnant. It turns out it was a girl my husband will continue beating me till I lost the pregnancy when I ran away from home to my father’s house, but I was chased away. My mother was telling me that I should add holdfast. In total, I lost five pregnancies to his beatings. Five girls. Then as fate will have it, I met Nonso once again, it was at my husband’s father burial, and it turned out that both Nonso and Uche were siblings, step-siblings, as they shared the same father but Nonso was considered a bastard since he was born out of wedlock. Nonso and I became intimate again as I found out that I still had strong feelings for him, and he also felt the same way, but unfortunately, we were both married. And he lived abroad, but that didn’t stop us, we met constantly and had great intimate sex till he left. Soon after he left, did I find out that I was pregnant? I was so distraught that I didn’t know what to do. I decided that the only person I would tell would be my mother. My mother simply advised me to go into bed with my husband and give him the child, in her words 'it’s not the first time; a woman will commit fraud to protect herself and child.’ So I did as she told me. Soon after my husband found out I was pregnant, and the routine continued, the ultrasound showed the sex of my child was female, constant beatings, you see the marks on my face, my husband did it, but this child was stubborn, refused to die. The secret was mine and my mother’s alone to keep, even Nonso didn’t know about my pregnancy. At the ninth month, I went into labour, and my daughter came out, a few minutes later as the doctors were about to stitch my private part, I went into labour again, and my son came out. It turned out that I was pregnant with twins. The ultrasound only saw the female child. As soon as Uche heard he drove to the hospital elated once more, he had an heir. Even my dear Nonso called to congratulate me, still no word. And I hope to die with that secret.’
Madam Ashietu and Kiki sighed, the story was a sad one, I didn’t know when I even began to feel emotional, madam Chioma was a strong woman.
She then continued, 'Now my stupid husband brags that the twins are his seeds, that he’s a strong father, only if he knows, but I’ve given him the heir he so much wishes for. He says the kids are healthy and strong like he knows anything. I miss Nonso so severely, but it’s better this way, my husband now loves and cherish me so much with the beatings stopped, I deleted Nonso’s number from my phone, I started afresh.’ I didn’t know when I blurted out loudly, Na wa o! immediately all the women stared at me, Kiki asked, Have you been Eavesdropping?